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India, Bangladesh rift delay signing of joint statement

     New Delhi: India and Bangladesh have delayed the signing of the joint statement after the Home Secretary level talks, till late tonight, over reported differences on issues related to security and illegal migration. Officials said that at the meeting, India had raised the issue of militant camps in Bangladesh belonging to the North East insurgent groups, following which, the Bangladeshi delegation offered Indian officials to visit Bangladesh to see whether such camps at all existed. However, Bangladesh expressed its reservations when India wanted the offer to be included in the minutes of the meeting. Also the media was called twice for briefings on the two-day talks between Home Secretary VK Duggal and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sarfaraz Hossain, but they could not be held as the talks continued late into night. Duggal also dismissed rumours of deadlock in the talks on the issues and said that the outcome would be positive. The two countries, officials said, had also broadly agreed on providing consular access to Indian and Bangladeshi nationals lodged in each other's jails.